Thread: Coaching during the game

I'm in my first year coaching a rec ball team and I'd like to get the thoughts of the folks on the forum. I have a couple dads helping me and they love to shout instruction to the girls while they are in the field. My favorite is with the pitcher, such as, bring the ball down or up and throw strikes. Then when the ball is put into play they start screaming where to throw the ball, each is usually to a different place.

I am more of a believer in letting the girls play and if something needs addressing do it in the dugout. If I yell anything it's more of, when the ball comes to you know what you're going to do.

What should we as coaches be doing when girls are in the field during a game? Thank you

What age level? Personally, I don't like to have a lot of coaches yelling instructions during a game, especially if coaches are saying different instructions at the same time. I would rather give reminders before the play at the younger ages, and also just give key words as reminders to the older groups. At some point, the girls have to learn to think for themselves. However, you need to make sure you go over situations in practice and that you use things that happen in games as learning experiences. Review at the end of the inning ( example: What should we do next time this happens?) I think sometimes coaches "over coach" during games by telling the kids everything.

"Teach the field generals to call out simple and them more complex plays as time goes on and save the coaches voices."

What do you mean by field generals? I've got an idea but want to be sure.

The girls are mostly 11 with a couple years experience.

Originally Posted by Screwball

A coach should be assigned to an area, like the outfield, for example.

However, you never yell during a play because the player can't react in time and it causes errors. (My favorite is when a pop fly is in the air, and the coach yells 'catch it' right when it hits the glove, causing a drop.)
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..or how about "TAG HER! TAG HER!" as the ball is on the way from the catcher on a steal attempt. A mishandled ball is always the result.

Some coaches want everyone within earshot to know that they know what the play is. How about trusting the players to know?

I always kept a roll of pink duct tape in my bag. At the beginning of the year at the parent meeting I explained that it had two purposes. The first use is that if I ever had to tell a kid to tie her shoe, I had her put duct tape on her laces, no more untied shoe laces. Second use was that I handed a length to any parent caught coaching during a game, you can guess what this was for.

-W

Originally Posted by MK37

I'm in my first year coaching a rec ball team and I'd like to get the thoughts of the folks on the forum. I have a couple dads helping me and they love to shout instruction to the girls while they are in the field. My favorite is with the pitcher, such as, bring the ball down or up and throw strikes. Then when the ball is put into play they start screaming where to throw the ball, each is usually to a different place.

I am more of a believer in letting the girls play and if something needs addressing do it in the dugout. If I yell anything it's more of, when the ball comes to you know what you're going to do.

What should we as coaches be doing when girls are in the field during a game? Thank you

I don't like coaches who talk too much during games, but in rec, you'll never be able to simulate enough possible game situations in practice, so your team will likely have more success if you give them verbal cues out there. You can see things they may not see, so there's little point in sitting on that information.

Yes, you should take notes and build your practices around what you see in games, but you should also help them in the moment as this will help their thought process.

I don't mind multiple coaches being involved, but each gets an area of responsibility - infield/outfield, batters, etc - and if the OF coach thinks 2B should be repositioned, then it needs to go through the IF coach. The players need to get their signals or directions from only 1 coach.

We want the players to develop their own in-game thinking skills, but as coaches, our job is to simplify the game for them, not make it more complicated.

Good advice. Coaches and well intentioned parents cause more harm than good when they are yelling during a play. I can't count the number of times I've heard parent and/or coach scream out the wrong or contrary instructions.

The worst I saw was an infield popup in 10U rec where the coach is screaming the SS's name over and over again, meaning for her to make the catch. She became distracted, looked at him and the ball fell at her feet. Luckily, she didn't take one in the head.

Reminders, by coaches, should occur prior to start of the play or discussed after the inning.

All right on with the way I coach. I like to keep everyone fairly calm.

I have a good friend that coach's his daughter's team. Every single pitch "push with your legs, your arm circle isnt straight, your leaning forward, theres 2 strikes, squeeze the ball......". Drives me nuts!